A term used to refer to large and appealing animals, e.g. otters, egrets, whales. Environmental groups often feature "charismatic megafauna" in their materials because, well, they're more appealing to people than what some might call "repulsive microfauna."

A legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently protects land while the landowner continues to own it. Donating the easement can result in reduced inome or estate taxes. More than 17,000 conservation easements protect 4.7 million acres of land in the United States.

Soils that have been altered by human activity, which makes them less capable of supporting native plant communities and sometimes more susceptible to non-native invasion. In the Elkhorn Slough watershed, the dominant forms of disturbance are the cultivation of steep slopes, erosion, and overgrazing.

The disturbance of the soil and plant communities in ways that are natural or mimic natural disturbance and thus foster healthy ecological conditions. The grazing of cattle at the Porter Ranch is an example of a disturbance regime designed to mimic the grazing patterns of wild herds and thus benefit native bunch grasses and grassland-dependant spec [..]

The transition zone between communities, such as between uplands and wetlands. These transitional areas can be unusually rich in flora and fauna, with elements from both of the adjoining communities.

The sandy hills lying to the east of Elkhorn Slough. Because these hills drain into the slough, what happens on them is vital to the health of the slough. The upper ridges of these hills are covered with maritime chaparral, a rare plant community in California.

A plant or animal species facing the danger or threat of extinction. The state and federal governments have separate lists of "endangered" or "threatened" species. An endangered species is one already facing the danger of extinction. A threatened species is one that is likely to become so in the foreseeable futur [..]

The wearing away by, or as if by, abrasion. Soil erosion in the Elkhorn Slough watershed occurs most dramatically on steep sandy slopes where disturbance leaves the soils exposed. The worst soil erosion west of the Mississippi has been measured on slopes in this area. The 1999 Elkhorn Slough Watershed Conservation Plan identifies erosion and sedime [..]

Farm land not currently in cultivation. ESF has acquired 271 acres of fallow agricultural land this year, almost all of it on steep slopes not suitable for sustainable, environmentally sensitive farming. Such lands could also be called "restorable hillsides," because that is what we will do with them.

A furrow is the shallow trench between rows of crops. Furrows aligned running up and down a slope increase water runoff and soil erosion. Furrow alignment that cuts across the slope, following the contours, reduces runoff and erosion.